Flowcine Announces xSPINE and GLINK
- By 16x9 Inc.
- Oct 23, 2020
Flowcine just announced the latest additions to its industry-leading arsenal of cinematography equipment. Even in the midst of a pandemic, they have managed to stir up the attention of the currently hamstrung film industry.
xSPINE + GLINKThe GLINK is a new type of body support system that is made to work with electronic gimbals such as the MoVI Pro and the DJI Ronin 2. It’s based around the xSPINE, which is our new universal vest for camera operators, made for both steadi and gimbal work. |
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INTRODUCTIONS The xSPINE vest is the world’s first universal vest made for all kinds of camera operators in mind, made for versatility and moveability. The xSPINE can currently be used for Steadicam™ operation both as front and back mount in various configurations. It also allows the operator to mount a gimbal support system such as the GLINK. There will be more mounting options and accessories down the road as well. The xSPINE is a low-weight (3900g) vest designed to be as comfortable and rigid as possible. The pads include a dual-layered air mesh system with air channels, enabling good ventilation while at the same the memory foam makes the vest very comfortable to wear. All parts are made with strong carbon fiber and/or low weight aluminum, creating a rigid cage that equally distributes the carried payload in the best way possible. All main sections such as front, back, and sides can be detached with quick release pins, to allow the vest to be packed down in a very slim format.  All parts are also fully adjustable for different operator sizes. The curved carbon fiber bars in the front keeps the chest region free to ease breathing, also making it an excellent choice for all body size operators. The xSPINE incorporates dual locked ladder strap adjustments in the front, quickly enabling the operator to adjust settings on the fly, and be able to open up or close any side of the vest. The buckles are designed so no accidental opening can be performed, while still allowing the operator to open them safely even while carrying a payload to perform adjustments or corrections while resting. The extra-wide straps keep the vest as rigid as possible while maintaining an easy procedure for opening and closing the vest. 
MOUNTING OPTIONS The xSPINE is built to be able to take a wide range of accessories and mounting options. We currently have mounting options for the following products and accessories:
There are also a bunch of accessories such as the tool and accessory clip-on and the baby pin mount to enable easy hanging of the vest between usage.
ADJUSTMENTS The xSPINE has adjustments for all kinds of body sizes. The shoulders and sides have telescopic adjustments that can be set so they fit both larger and smaller operators. Both front and back can quickly be adjusted in height. All pads have extra CELL PE layers to be able to tweak the stiffness and thickness of the padding. Additional side panel pads are available for operators preferring those.
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INTRODUCTIONS The GLINK is a new type of gimbal body support system that is made to work with electronic gimbals such as the Freefly systems M10, M15, MoVI Pro, and the DJI Ronin 2. It can also work with other types of electronic heads such as the Betz Wave, ARRI Trinity, MK-V Omega, or just fixed cameras in handheld mode (separate handheld unit mount). It allows the operator to produce smooth walking and running shots eliminating steps and other axial errors produced from the human body. It includes the Flowcine xSPINE vest, two telescopic mounts with retraction bracket arms, two vertical isolation arms and arm posts, two triaxial gimbals, and a carbon fiber frame that serves as the main mounting platform for the electronic gimbals. Apart from excellent vertical Z-axis isolation, it also allows the operator to pan at both sides while walking in straight lines, and also offers a very big linear boom range thanks to the retraction brackets at the back allowing the operator to boom all the way from over eye level to low mode camera lens positioning in a straight vertical line. Both GLINK stabilization arms are based on our already proven xARM technology and offer the smoothest and most effective boom action, with a lift range between 6 – 18.5kg (13 – 40.5lbs). There is also a docking station that allows you to balance both your camera and gimbal in the system for effortless tilt motion and perfect balance.
MOUNTING OPTIONS The GLINK can accommodate most popular electronic gimbals, such as the Freefly systems M10, M15, and MoVI PRO and the DJI Ronin 2 which can all be mounted directly to the GLINK. And there is also a separate telescopic handheld mount that allows the operator to mount any camera directly on the carbon fiber frame without using any electronic gimbal, to produce organic action stable handheld shots. Electronic gimbals can be mounted over slung or underslung for different height possibilities, and together with our long telescopic arm posts, this can all be combined for super low or high mode camera positioning.
ADJUSTMENTS The GLINK system can be fully adjusted to work with different body sizes. The shoulders and sides of the xSPINE have telescopic adjustments that can be set so they fit both large or small operators. And both front and back can be adjustable in height. All pads have extra CELL PE layers to be able to tweak the stiffness and thickness of the padding. The retraction brackets (fore and aft gimbal positioning) section can be adjusted up and down along the xSPINE dovetail for lower or higher shots. The adjustable socket blocks on the retraction brackets can also be telescopically extended in width to adjust clearance from the sides of your body according to your body size. The socket blocks can be adjusted around tilt to adjust fore and aft position, allowing the gimbal/camera to stay in a given position from the operator’s body. The GLINK stabilization arms can be tuned, through the GLINK spring cores so that the arms float in a close to a horizontal position. The arm post can be adjusted for in height and depending on connection either connect for high (over slung) or low mode (underslung) operation. Both GLINK gimbal handles at each side can be adjusted toolless on the GLINK CF top frame to allow the perfect tilting balance of your camera and gimbal. The MoVI TITH/R2 mount allows for further dovetail plate balancing, allowing the operator to shift the fore and aft placement of the gimbal for precise 100% tilting balance.
Monitors, batteries, and other accessories can be mounted via either the GLINK monitor clamps and/or the GLINK foot, all around the CF frame ring at any needed position.
SPRING CORES There are three different spring cores for the GLINK. They each have a different weight range, and you choose which spring to use based on the weight of your camera package and gimbal.
When you order your GLINK you’d let us know which spring cores you need.
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